BEARS PLAN IS CHEERED BY VILLAGE

Larry Hartstein, Tribune Staff WriterCHICAGO TRIBUNE

The Bears' purchase of an option to buy land in Hoffman Estates-a possible site for a new stadium-drew cheers from village officials, but the team still faces the equivalent of third down and long in its attempt to secure public financing for the facility.

In the current political climate, legislators say, it is unlikely the General Assembly would grant the Bears' wish for $185 million in state bonds to cover the bulk of the stadium's $285 million cost.

Another potential stumbling block is the fact that the Sears Merchandise Group, whose headquarters lies directly west of the 200-acre quarry the Bears have targeted for a sunken stadium, owns the right of first refusal on the land.

A Sears spokesman said the company will decide within a month whether to forfeit that right, based on an evaluation of how a football stadium would affect employees and Sears' property investment.

And the Bears, at least officially, are not pinning all their hopes on Hoffman Estates. Bears' director of administration Tim LeFevour said the team will acquire options on three additional sites "in the very near future."

The sites are in Naperville, Warrenville and in Chicago near O'Hare International Airport.

But the biggest hurdle to Hoffman Estates' adding the Bears to its list of major entities appears to be a legislature that doesn't rank professional football among the most pressing issues.

"We've got a multimillion-dollar Medicaid problem. We've got a potential problem with the Chicago public schools. We've got a prison system that is really past its capacity. The Department of Children and Family Services, which is supposed to be protecting child welfare, is running basically under court order," said Mark Gordon, a spokesman for Senate President James "Pate" Philip (R-Wood Dale).

"Given all those factors, it's going to be a tough sell to convince legislators to provide state funds for a sports stadium."

For his part, Philip will follow Gov. Jim Edgar's lead on the new stadium, Gordon said.

An Edgar spokesman, Mike Lawrence, said the governor has strong reservations about using public funds to build a sports stadium.

"I think he has not ruled out the possibility of some public support, but he'll have to look long and hard at this before deciding whether to make a commitment of any significance," Lawrence said.

Sears bought an option on the proposed stadium site, which lies west of Beverly Road and north of the Northwest Tollway, when it moved its headquarters to Hoffman Estates in 1992. A Sears spokesman said the company is just starting to explore whether a stadium, with the noise and traffic it generates, would be a good neighbor.